Forget it. Any wood that is White just after you build will not be white 2 or 3 years hence. It will oxidize, turn a tan colour and there's zero you can do to stop it. You can slow the process down but that's about all you can do. Even the Whitest Holly starts to take on a Greyish White after a few years.
The only real alternative is to use a wood bleach method.

tangimango

01-12-2015, 12:34 AM

I guess bleach or white spray paint. Thanks for the replys. I guess theres no stopping the oxidation of time.

Yeah my englemann top was white , so was the maple back and sides. But after 4 years its yellow.
Forget it. Any wood that is White just after you build will not be white 2 or 3 years hence. It will oxidize, turn a tan colour and there's zero you can do to stop it. You can slow the process down but that's about all you can do. Even the Whitest Holly starts to take on a Greyish White after a few years.
The only real alternative is to use a wood bleach method.

coolkayaker1

01-12-2015, 12:53 AM

Yeah my englemann top was white , so was the maple back and sides. But after 4 years its yellow.

Like my teeth.

Useanaim

01-12-2015, 11:25 PM

Hi
Google Hemlock.
From memory its white and i have seen it has been used as a tonewood

Michael Smith

01-13-2015, 09:02 AM

If you can get pieces large enough Holly is the whitest wood I have ever seen.

DennisK

01-13-2015, 03:48 PM

Holly. But if you really want pure white, there's no rule against using an opaque finish.

Paul December

01-13-2015, 04:15 PM

"Whitest Tonewood" was my nickname back in high school.

tangimango

01-13-2015, 06:26 PM

Lol

holly dose look nice

"Whitest Tonewood" was my nickname back in high school.

Chris_H

01-13-2015, 07:24 PM

shark bait...

Chris_H

01-13-2015, 07:28 PM

Hemlock will be only slightly whiter than the other possible tonewoods suggested. Maybe...

Todd Rose

01-14-2015, 03:43 AM

Yes, holly. It does darken a bit with age, but, in my experience, remains a lovely cream color that could still be called "white". You might call it off-white, but definitely not yellow or gray. Bear in mind that finishes can also add amber color, and can also darken over time, so choose your finish carefully if want to preserve the whiteness as much as possible.

I have some large billets of holly with clear areas of quartersawn material easily large enough for making ukes. I have more of this than I need for my own use, so please feel free to inquire.

Here's a uke I made out of holly (top, back, neck, and tailstock; other parts are ebony; rim is black-dyed maple). It has aged to more of a cream off-white color, as I described above.

75034

thistle3585

01-14-2015, 04:47 AM

A lot of finishes will yellow with age, so its hard to keep it looking the same as the day it was sprayed. I had some "white mahogany" that hailed from Australia. I don't know what it was but it was white and had the same ribbon look as mahogany. In my cabinet days, we did a pickled white finish. We sprayed lacquer tinted with white stain. On red maple, it had a pinkish undertone but looked white on silver maple. I could probably track down some photos if that interests you.

pahu

09-15-2016, 09:02 AM

The only real alternative is to use a wood bleach method.

What finish(es) would you use to keep it that way-at least for a few years, if not forever?

Kevin Waldron

09-15-2016, 11:02 AM

There is also a natural white persimmon ..... not just the normal persimmon which is also white with streaks of green, brown, and black.